I like to cook.  In fact, I like to cook so much that I’ve got a bun in my oven right now.  Unfortunately, this little nine-month baking project is making it difficult for me to do much cooking these days.  While eating isn’t much of a problem since I seem to pretty much be starving at all times, the act of actually going into my kitchen is often enough to send me running to the bathroom.  No, eating is not a problem, but the prep work itself is.  In fact, just the other morning I was feeling pretty smug about how decent I felt.  I went in to the kitchen to scramble up some eggs for the family’s breakfast.  As luck (or Murphy’s Law) would have it, my favorite omelet skillet was in the kitchen sink and needed to be washed before using.  I picked up the skillet, but lo and behold, there was DRIED FOOD STUCK TO IT.  This was enough to send me fleeing and to quickly abolish any plans I had of making breakfast for anyone.

What does this have to do with As Seen On TV and infomercial products?  Well, a lot, actually.  You see, my favorite nonstick skillet is several years old.  What once let omelets slide right on out and onto the plate is now chipped, flaked, and scratched, leaving food stuck to the pan and leaving me clinging to the sides of the toilet waiting for this first trimester to be OVER ALREADY.

I can use my pregnancy as an excuse for a lot of things:  I get to take more naps, I eat popsicles like there’s no tomorrow, I get people to lift heavy things for me, and now, I may just use it as an excuse to buy a shiny new As Seen On TV nonstick pan.

The new generation of nonstick pans shown on infomercials these days has a lot to offer over its Teflon predecessors.  And a lack of Teflon is at the top of the list.

Three of the top As Seen On TV contenders feature nonstick ceramic as a healthier alternative to nonstick coatings that scratch, chip, and flake off into your food.  The Orgreenic Cookware natural ceramic nonstick frying pan and the NuWave PerfectGreen nonstick fry pan both use a ceramic nonstick surface that prevents the release of toxins into your food while you cook.  The Yoshiblue Diamondware Skillet uses nano-ceramic infused with diamond particles to create a nontoxic, nonstick, and durable cooking surface.

The benefits of these new As Seen On TV ceramic nonstick pans are many:

• Healthier cooking by eliminating the need for added grease, oils, butter, and unhealthy fats
• Durable nonstick ceramic pans that do not flake, chip, peel, or scratch, protecting the surface of your pan and protecting you from chemicals in your food
• Do not release harmful toxins into your food
• Orgreenic cookware does not contain PFOA
• NuWave Perfect Green fry pan is BPA-free, PFOA-free, PTFE-free, and Cadmium-free
• Yoshiblue Diamondware skillet can easily be wiped clean

Pregnant or not, safe cooking is important to me and my family–and mess free clean-up ain’t too shabby either.

Now, who wants to bring me a popsicle?

If it weren’t enough trouble to try to figure out what to pack for my picky child’s lunch, I have to try to figure out how to keep that lunch cold and fresh and keep it from spoiling.  For the most part, that has led to an inordinate number of peanut butter sandwiches in the school lunch.  My son has an insulated lunch box, but it really just doesn’t keep food cold like I think it should, and let’s face it, who wouldn’t be a little suspicious of eating deli meat, milk, or yogurt that had been sitting at little better than room temperature for four hours or so?

I try putting ice packs or gel packs in the lunch box, but those can tend to squish the sandwich, they only keep the things directly in contact with them cold, and they don’t stay cold until lunch time–especially in warmer weather.  They also hog all the room I need for actual food.

I’ve been pretty unhappy with lunch box choices so far, but the As Seen On TV PackIt “go anywhere mini-fridge” may just be the answer to my lunch-packing prayers.

This As Seen On TV product is more than an insulated lunch bag.  In fact, the PackIt itself is the cooling pack.  Keep PackIt in your freezer, and when you are ready to pack your lunch, pull the cold bag out of your freezer and fill it with whatever you like.  The PackIt insulated bag has the cooling technology built-in.  The cold  completely surrounds your food, keeping it refrigerator-cold for up to 10 hours.  When you use the PackIt for taking lunch on the go, you can pack meats, cheeses, yogurt, milk, and even smoothies to keep them cold and fresh until lunch time . . . and beyond.

PackIt is also great for taking drinks and snacks to the park, the zoo, or the game.  Keep sports beverages ice cold on a hot day.

Another great use for PackIt is storing and transporting baby bottles.  I wish the PackIt had been around when I was a new mom.  I wouldn’t have to be paranoid about keeping milk cold, and it would be a great convenience for nursing moms who have to pump at work.  Simply and discreetly store bottles of milk to take home from the office.

Of course, these days people are looking for ways to live a “greener” lifestyle.  Reusable lunch bags are definitely one way to reduce waste.  PackIt is great for eco-conscious people who want to feed their families fresh, wholesome foods and who do not want to contribute to environmental waste through disposable bags.

It is not often that I get really excited about a product, but the PackIt insulated bag, with its promise of keeping food cold for ten hours, is something I can get behind.

What will you pack in your PackIt?

Last winter was brutal.  BRUTAL.  This winter, I was expecting more of the same, but instead, it has been remarkably mild.  Perhaps some of that unspeakable heat from the summer is still lingering, because today it is more than 70 degrees outside.  In February.  Wow.

All of this warm weather is really starting to give me Spring Fever.  Last week, we talked about ways to get your lawn ready for spring and summer with As Seen On TV garden tools and grass seed.  This week I’ll be sharing with you some new offerings we have just in time for spring planting.  We’ve recently added three new As Seen On TV plants to our catalog, and we still carry some of our infomercial favorites from previous seasons.

No matter what kind of garden you have, infomercial plants are available to make it hardier and more unique than ever before.  We have fruits, vegetables, and flowers, so whether you want to spruce up your landscaping or eat fresh, organic foods without paying a fortune at the store, you can find a plant that will add a little something extra to your garden.  Our latest As Seen On TV home and garden plants offer one each of floral, fruit, and vegetable.

• Popcorn Garden - The Popcorn Garden lets you grow delicious, organic popping corn at home.  By growing your own popcorn, you make sure that the popcorn you eat is fresh and free from chemicals, you save money over organic popcorn at the store, and you create an educational experience for kids at home.  The Popcorn Garden is an easy-to-cut coconut shell fiber growing mat pre-seeded with organic popcorn seeds.  Popcorn Garden comes with complete growing instructions, a popcorn brochure, and a 6″ pot.   With the special Popcorn Garden Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer, you’ll receive two kits for one low price.
• Strawberry Giant – Last year we brought you the Little Giant Blueberry plant that allows you to grow 16,000 blueberries from one plant.  Little Giant Blueberries are still available, but if that’s just not enough berries for you, try adding Strawberry Giant as well.  Strawberry Giant can be grown outdoors in your garden or in pots inside your home.  Strawberry Giant is cultivated to grow in as little as 60 days.  Because it can be grown indoors or outdoors, you can enjoy strawberries all year long.  Strawberry Giant also carries a Buy 1 Get 1 Free offer.
• Hummingbird Vine - Add a splash of color to your landscaping with the super resilient, easy-to-grow Hummingbird Vine.   Hummingbird Vine is a brilliant trumpet vine blooming in yellow, orange, and red.  The colorful trumpet blossoms are filled with nectar, and the vibrant colors and sweet nectar attract hummingbirds to your yard.  Hummingbird Vine grows easily even in poor soil, full sun, or shady areas.  Hummingbird Vine carries a Buy 2 Get 2 Free offer, giving you four plants for only ten dollars.

Popcorn Garden, Strawberry Giant, and Hummingbird Vine are only the latest in our As Seen On TV plant catalog.  To see a full listing of available plants, visit the SeenOnTV Express As Seen On TV garden catalog.  Get growing!

It is hard to believe that it has been nine years since the invention of a product that revolutionized children’s comfort and precipitated a spate of dual-purpose As Seen On TV products for kids.  What was the groundbreaking product launched in 2003?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrU-TWUA9Hw

Pillow Pets sold like crazy, becoming one of the most popular Christmas gifts in 2003.  As a stuffed animal/pillow combination, Pillow Pets appealed to kids’ love of cuddly things and it appealed to their parents’ desire to comfort their children without adding more clutter.  By serving as both a soft plush animal and a pillow, travel became easier, naptime became easier, TV time became easier.  A child playing with his favorite stuffed animal could take snuggling a step further by just falling asleep on it.

Since then, several other As Seen On TV products for children have followed the dual-purpose model of Pillow Pets:

• Happy Nappers – Unzips and reverses from a play pillow shaped like an animal’s home to a plush animal that resides within it.  For example, a castle reveals a dragon, a doghouse reveals a puppy, and an igloo reveals a penguin.
• Blankid Buddy – Blankid Buddies take the two-in-one animal/pillow idea to the next level.  Each Blankid Buddy is a backpack, blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal–a four-in-one cuddle companion that is ideal for travel.
• Pawggles – Pawggles differentiate themselves by breaking away from the pillow idea.  Rather, Pawggles (from “paws” plus “giggles”) are stuffed animals that convert to funny house slippers.

The newest As Seen On TV kids’ offering in the animal/bedtime genre is CuddleUppets.  A CuddleUppet is most similar to a Blankid Buddy in that both are animal/blanket combinations.  However, each CuddleUppets animal is a puppet rather than a regular stuffed animal.  In addition, CuddleUppets feature a large blanket measuring 28″ by 39″, big enough to wrap around your child.  A CuddleUppet can be used as a puppet alone, and it can be used while your child is swaddled in the blanket.   Even as your child sleeps, the CuddleUppet puppet head can be used much as any “lovey.”

CuddleUppets come in six styles and colors:

• Poodle (pink)
• Monkey (purple)
• Puppy (yellow)
• Crocodile (green)
• Elephant (blue)
• Bear (brown)

CuddleUppets features special quantity pricing; the more you buy, the more you save.  Because CuddleUppets are puppets and not mere stuffed animals, having the full menagerie can make for some fun puppet shows for your kids.

We’ve talked recently on the SeenOnTV Express blog about ways to look slimmer with no effort (Kymaro Body Shaper for women and Slim T for men) and ways to improve muscle tone with little effort (Flex Belt and Flex Mini).  Though there are many As Seen On TV exercise videos and equipment that are low-impact and moderate intensity, perhaps the hottest selling infomercial exercise videos are the extreme workout routines from Beachbody.

Among the best selling Beachbody videos are Insanity with Shaun T. and Tony Horton’s P90X.  Recently, Shaun T. released a new version of his popular Insanity workout entitled The Asylum, a thirty-day sports training workout.  Now, Tony Horton and Beachbody are expanding their offerings for die-hard P90X fans with the release of P90X2.

P90X2 is more than just a new set of workouts to replace P90X; it is designed to build on the successful transformation of those who have completed P90X by increasing agility and athleticism.  P90X was created to transform bodies into the best shape of their lives, replacing fat with muscle through a technique of Muscle Confusion.  P90X2 continues with Muscle Confusion but also incorporates Post-Activation Potentiation (P.A.P.), a groundbreaking exercise technique based on two additional years of research and development by the fitness experts and sports scientists at Beachbody.

P.A.P. essentially combines heavy strength training with plyometric exercise to engage more muscles during and after a workout.  This explosive combination increases stamina, agility, core strength, and overall athleticism.  P90X2 is not designed as a replacement for the original P90X; it is not simply more of the same.  Rather, P90X2 takes fitness to the next level.

In this video, Tony Horton explains the difference between the original P90X and the all new P90X2:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubc1AQwSi1k

Because the P90X2 workouts are completely new and different from the previous series, new equipment may be necessary.  When you order the P90X2 workout kit, you have your choice of three packages, depending on what equipment needs you may have:

• P90X2 Base Kit:  12 workout DVDs, 1 How to Bring It Again DVD, P90X2 Workout Guide, P90X2 Nutrition Guide, P90X Workout Calendar
• P90X2 Deluxe Kit:  everything included in the Base Kit plus a foam roller, two 8-pound medicine balls, a premium stability ball, and two additional extreme workouts:  V-Sculpt and Chest + Shoulders + Tris
• P90X2 Ultimate Kit:  everything included in the Deluxe Kit plus Tony Horton’s PowerStands

The twelve P90X2 workouts use strength training, plyometrics, yoga, and core strength exercises and routines based on Muscle Confusion, but they incorporate P.A.P. to take your workout beyond the original transformation of P90X and into increased athletic ability, stamina, strength, and agility.  P90X2 workouts include:

• X2 Core
• Plyocide
• X2 Recovery + Mobility
• X2 Total Body
• X2 Yoga
• X2 Balance + Power
• Chest + Back + Balance
• X2 Shoulders + Arms
• Base + Back
• P.A.P. Upper
• P.A.P Lower
• X2 Ab Ripper

Staff members at SeenOnTV Express who have used the original P90X saw phenomenal results with the original program and look to build on their efforts with the all new P90X2.

Look out now.  SeenOnTV Express is going to be too hot to handle and too fast to catch . . .

A couple of weeks ago, the Seen On TV Express blog discussed how As Seen On TV blankets and lounge wear elevate relaxation and comfort to an art form.  Featured in the blog post was Forever Lazy, the one-piece fleece suit designed to keep you warm and comfortable from head to toe all winter long.

When I wrote that post, despite poking a little fun at the Forever Lazy, I decided that I really would like one.  I mean, I’ve always been a little jealous of my toddler in his warm, fuzzy, footie pajamas and wished I had a pair for myself.  Unfortunately, adult footie pajamas are hard to find and expensive.  The feet in footie pajamas can’t possibly comfortably fit a range of foot sizes, flopping around on teeny tiny feet, and causing the more Sasquatchian among us to curl their toes or bust out the ends like a hobo.

Another problem with footed pajamas is for those people who really don’t like to wear socks or whose feet get hot when covered.  Personally, I wear socks pretty much at all times, and I hate for my feet to be cold, but footie pajamas just don’t have the coverage I want.  Forever Lazy does not have built in feet, but it does come with free matching footies/slipper socks.  Wear Forever Lazy with socks as thick or thin as you want–or with no socks at all.  You can even put on your shoes to run out to the mailbox or pick up the newspaper to start your day of leisure.

Recently, I was in a major retail store and I saw women’s footie pajamas.  For the same price as the hard-to-find adult footie pajamas, you can get two pair of Forever Lazy with its Buy One Get One Free offer.

When I wrote the blog post on As Seen On TV loungewear, pillows, and blankets, I had no idea how Forever Lazy would take off.  Since that time, I’ve seen dozens of posts about the Forever Lazy infomercial on my personal Facebook page, and I’ve seen several news articles about how Forever Lazy is going to overtake Snuggie as the must-have, kitchy-yet-fabulous, As Seen On TV gift.  I’ve seen that, just like the Snuggie parties of a few years past, Forever Lazy parties are becoming a new trend.  I’ve even heard of bars where all the bartenders wear Forever Lazy as part of the shtick.  Many people believe that Forever Lazy will quickly triumph over the Snuggie in the “Cozy War.”

I, for one, believe it.  As Seen On TV products are constantly growing, evolving, and becoming better than ever.  If the Snuggie was the top-selling infomercial product, with 20 million sales between their release in September 2008 and December 2009, then it stands to reason that two to three years later, a new blockbuster infomercial product would take its place.  Forever Lazy seems to be that product.

I fully expect to see one under my Christmas tree this year–even if I have to buy it for myself.

Last week I wrote about As Seen On TV kitchen products, and this week is more of the same–although with a twist.  Last week I talked about getting ready for holiday cooking with the Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer, but this week, I have a more pressing cooking engagement on my mind.  This weekend I’ll be throwing a birthday party.  A 40th birthday party.  Which means I’ll have to make cake.  Which means I need some As Seen On TV bakeware, pronto.  But I’ll get to that in a minute.

See, because this is a 40th birthday party, we’ve decided to go with an 80′s theme.  It’s like Halloween, only earlier and for old people.  Anyway, I’ve been trying to find ways to make this a truly memorable party, even though the guest of honor may soon begin losing his memory as he gets really, really old.

First, I need a costume.  By costume,  I mean I need to raid my clothing in storage to see if anything still fits.  I considered wearing a fitness getup like one from a 1980′s infomercial exercise video:

Then I remembered that no one wants to see me in a leotard.

I know we’re going to have an 80′s soundtrack playing all night, and so I thought one of the Time Life Music compilations might just fit the bill for our evening of New Wave, One Hit Wonders, and Hair Bands.

I thought maybe I could practice some sweet dance moves with the 1980′s infomercial break dance tutorial by Alfonso Ribeiro, “Pop and Lock:”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPWzDsS2oaw

Then I remembered the only thing I’m likely to break is a hip.

So I’m settling for making a Pac Man cake.  I figure it can’t be to hard to mess up, right?  I mean, I bake a round cake, cut out a wedge, and frost it yellow.  What could possibly go wrong?

Except I decided that if I have a Pac Man, I need a Ghost.  So . . . okay.  I make a rectangle cake and cut it into the shape of a Pac Man Ghost, then frost it pink or blue.  Okay.  I think I’ve still got it.  No problem.

Except I decided that if I have a Pac Man and a Ghost, then I need some Power Pellets to connect them.  Why do I do this to myself?

Luckily, the Power Pellets should be about the easiest part of this cake.  Maybe even easier than Pac Man, because I can almost guarantee I won’t be able to frost it smoothly and there will be crumbs all in the icing.  Why am I convinced the Power Pellets will be so easy?  Because I’m making CAKE POPS.

Now, traditionally, cake pops or cake balls are simple but time consuming.  They involve baking a cake, crumbling it, mixing in frosting, chilling, rolling a bazillion balls, dipping, more chilling . . . you get the picture.  But even though I keep adding to my party t0-do list, I’m not one for time consuming projects.

Enter Bake Pop and Tasty Top Cake Pops.  These two new As Seen On TV cake pop baking pans will let me make perfectly round Power Pellets without any crumbling or rolling.  I can just pour the cake batter into the bakeware, bake it, and I’ll have the most enviable (and delicious) Power Pellets around.

Now–it’s off to find a crimper and some industrial strength hairspray.  It’ll be, like, totally awesome.

I’m not sure what I ever did to cause “Television’s Toughest Trainer,” Jillian Michaels, to rain down her wrath upon me.  Maybe it was the doughnuts.  Or my insatiable love of cheese.  Whatever it is, Jillian’s tough love approach is . . . well, tough.

I’ve been writing a lot on the SeenOnTV Express blog about how we all feel the impending bathing suit season approaching.  We have a choice of how we greet the body-baring summer.  We can either whip ourselves into shape through a vigorous and renewed workout regimen, or we can throw our hands into the air in resignation and throw our ample behinds on the couch.

Personally, I tend toward the second approach.

This year, though, I’ve had the luck (?) to greet the summer about 25 pounds lighter than last summer, through a top secret weight loss plan.  You, my readers, are going to get the secret of my success–stress.  I used to mock people who said they were “too busy to eat,” or “forgot to eat,” but now I’m one of those people.  And while the Stress Diet* is highly effective at shedding the pounds, it is also highly effective at shedding the muscle.

*The Stress Diet can also have the opposite effect on some individuals, causing marathon doughnut and pizza eating sessions–not necessarily simultaneously, but maybe.  Or so I’ve heard.

While I’m excited to actually fit into my bathing suits, I am a little disappointed at the complete lack of muscle tone, and the complete non-lack of cellulite that accompanies it.  Yes, folks–I have become the dreaded “skinny fat” (which I prefer to being “fat fat,” but still.)

Enter Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred.

Now, Jillian has a whole diet and fitness website whose ads you may have seen on TV.  The program at JillianMichaels.com is geared as a weight loss program, and I’m not currently looking to lose weight (it’s even weird to say that), so I didn’t really want to go that route.  I do, however, know that I have a limited amount of time in which to work out, and that if I want any results, I need to maximize that time.  Jillian Michaels has a reputation for tough workouts, and each workout in the 30 Day Shred DVD is approximately 24 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down.  I figure even someone who “doesn’t have time to eat” can manage to squeeze this workout in.

I was a little concerned that such a short workout wouldn’t seem effective, but, man alive, was I wrong.

Each workout on the 30-Day Shred is comprised of a 2 minute warm up, followed by 3 circuits, followed by a 2 minute cool down.  Each circuit is based on Jillian Michaels 3-2-1 training system:  3 minutes of strength, two minutes of cardio, 1 minute of abs.

The strength portion consists of one single-muscle group exercise (for example, pushups) and one compound exercise (for example, squats with shoulder presses).  You might think 3 minutes of that doesn’t sound so bad, but it was all I could do to finish out each strength portion of the circuits.

Next up is two minutes of cardio.  Jillian prefers old-school cardio like jumping jacks and butt-kicks.  This works out well for me, because I suffer from what you might call a Lack of Coordination.  Fancy grapevine steps or anything remotely resembling a dance move will cause me to trip and possibly damage an integral body part.  Plus, this boot-camp style cardio is very effective.

Finally, you endure one terrible minute of abs.  The great thing about ab work is that you get to lie on the floor.  Trust me–after only 5 minutes of Jillian’s 3-2-1 combination, you will be ready to flop onto the floor.  The problem is that once you are done, she makes you get back up for two more 3-2-1 circuits.

I am an astounding 3 days into my 30-Day Shred, and I can tell you that every place where a muscle should be HURTS.  I need a geriatric handrail just to lower my aching quads so I can use the bathroom.  Pure.  Torture.

And I love it.

Less than half an hour, and I’m done.

I really do believe that in 30 days, this will make a significant change in my physique, or at least in the ratio of muscle:squishiness.

As for now, my squish hurts.  Check back with SeenOnTV Express in 30 27 days to find out if I still feel the same when I’ve finished my 30-Day Shred.  Maybe by then I’ll be ready to double my efforts and take on Rip:60.

Electrifying Buns Courtesy of the Flex Mini

Although it is fun to take a look back at some of the more popular, amusing, or confusing infomercial products in As Seen On TV history, it is also important to take a look at what is hot now.  Today on Way Back Wednesday, we are going to introduce a new SeenOnTV Express blog feature:  What’s New Wednesday.  What’s New Wednesday will alternate with Way Back Wednesday posts, bringing the blog a mixture of old and new infomercial products.  Although this week kicks off our new What’s New Wednesday series, we could also easily have called today’s feature “Way Backside Wednesday” as we look at the hottest thing in butt-sculpting since Buns of Steel:  The Flex Mini.

The Flex Mini is the latest Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS) toning device from the makers of the Flex Belt.  EMS has come a long way since its early days, as described in our post about Dr. Ho’s Muscle Massager.  EMS devices no longer look like something used for shock therapy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but they are instead safe, effective tools for sculpting and toning the muscles.

The Flex Mini Revolutionizes Butt Workouts

Before the Flex Mini, sculpting, toning, and shaping the gluteal muscles required heavy exercise of the large muscle groups of the lower body.  Squats, stiff legged deadlifts, and lunges were de rigueur for a tight rear view, until various lower body sculpting infomercial products such as the Thigh Glider and 3 Minute Legs offered an easier way.  With the Flex Mini, though, your butt gets an effective workout without the traditional workout.  In fact, you can get intense muscle stimulation while you go about your daily routine.

The Flex Mini is discreet and comfortable.

The Flex Mini is medical grade, yet can be worn comfortably under clothes.  In just thirty minutes with the Flex Mini, the muscles of your butt and the backs of your upper thighs will get targeted stimulation, simulating the contractions of traditional, weight-bearing lower body exercises.  In fact, in a clinical study, 100% of Flex Mini users said the product worked for sculpting and toning the rear.  Furthermore, the Flex Mini is FDA cleared as a Class II medical toning device, proving that EMS for consumer use has truly evolved.